Denis' Country Kitchen

 

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sarah v.

Lodi, CA

Denis' country kitchen is amazing, i am originally from the lodi area but i live in san francisco now.  We all know San Fran is the king of good food, yet i have yet to find a breakfast place as good as denis' country kitchen.
They make the best eggs benny ive ever had, cooked to perfection every single time..
As for the prices, the rest of you guys are crazy because they are actually cheaper then Ihop, if you ac tually took the time to compare...which i did.
Well with this all said, you cannot beat Denis country Kitchen, i just wish they were open for dinner!!!

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4

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Ben P.

Lodi, CA

Forget that crappy IHOP-esque restaurant type. GO TO DENIS' COUNTRY KITCHEN FOR BREAKFAST!!!!!

Okay, downside, it's a bit pricier, but the food is sooooooooooooooo good. I have yet to find a better pancake or french toast.

This place is unique because the owner is Greek so he has a bunch of items that he has influenced with a hint of Greece. The service is wonderful as well.

Downsides: Parking sucks and there's just not enough seating.

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187

Jasmine S.

Stockton, CA

My boss took me here for breakfast to celebrate Admin Professionals Day (yes I have a great boss!) and it was the best french toast I have ever had!! I normally get omelette's for breakfast and they had a Greek omelet that sounded really good but since I wasn't all that hungry, I went with the french toast (the small order). My boss got eggs w/country potatoes and I seriously wanted to reach over and grab a bite! I'm definitely coming back this weekend so I can try the omelet and their potatoes.

The restaurant itself is extremely small and I can see why it's always so crowded on the weekends. We've actually tried to go a few times on Saturday morning but didn't want to wait. It is a bit expensive but I'd rather pay a couple dollars more and have a great meal than go to IHOP or Denny's and get cheaper food that tastes like crap. But that's just me. If you're on a budget, split a plate with a friend. Their portions are definitely large enough!

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6

230

Richard L.

Lodi, CA

Denis' Country Kitchen is in a part of Lodi where you'd least expect a restaurant to be situated. It's a Breakfast / Lunch restaurant that is usually very crowded. I was going to a Mexican restaurant when I noticed that the Country Kitchen was not very crowded... decided to try this place once and for all...

The handsome front door looks like it belongs on a residential home rather than on a business... it's a very dark door with oval shaped see through glass at it's center. As you enter Country Kitchen there are booths around the East and West walls, with individual tables in the center. Counter seating is available at the North end of the restaurant. Lighting is pretty bright and airy. Usually the restaurant is staffed by three waitstaff. Quite a number of people for such a small establishment.

Decided to try their daily special which was a Dungeness Crab Omelette... I was very reluctant to try this because either you have to have a lot of Crab to offset the strong egg flavor or very few eggs; and at $11 and change... that is a very expensive breakfast!

The Omelette was a 3=4 egg omelette (pretty big!) with a white sauce that smothered the omelette. The side potatoes were the "Country" variety with onions, green bell peppers, and red bell peppers. The Country Kitchen could not pull off this feat...  very few pieces of crab, and just too many eggs. The white sauce and the eggs just smothered the flavor of the crab, aromatically and physically.

Perusing the menu, most of the breakfasts' were at least $8-$9, about $2 more than most places in Lodi. It seems the owners of Country Kitchen are from the Mediterranean or Greek in ethnicity; there are a lot of breakfasts with Feta Cheese, which is very unusual. Not very many people have an affinity for Feta.

The Country Kitchen might re-think it's prices as the priority for most people becomes affordability over novelty over time.

Bottom Line: Nice try, but WAY overpriced.

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Elite '08

87

226

Mike W.

San Francisco, CA

It's storefront isn't typical of a Central Valley diner, nor is the interior which is shy on natural light and nearly devoid of campy-but-charming Americana.  Tables make up most of the seating, while a four-person counter runs along the rear wall.  It doesn't look like it's worth a drive from Stockton to check out, but drive from Stockton we did....lured by my father's claim that Denis's served "The best chicken fried steak I've ever had".

And lo, this accolade came from one who withholds glowing praise from all but the greasiest of spoons. I hopped into the passenger seat of my father's Prius expecting great things.....and my expectations were met.

Bluntly put, the fare at this humble Lodi establishment was quite possibly one of the best breakfasts I've ever had in the Central Valley.  Portions were big...and due to the fact that my siblings are light eaters, the opportunity to pick at their plates gave me a chance to sample a little bit of everything.  The hash browns were a perfectly cooked mat of golden potatoey goodness.  The egg portions were copious, and the toast was hewn from a loaf of high-end bread.  The biscuits and gravy were  lighter and fluffier than most I'd seen, and the pancakes had subtle variations in taste and texture that set them apart from those of competing diners.  The only drawback?  The pre-formed sausage patties (as opposed being hand-squished from ground meat) were somewhat uninspiring, though rest of the breakfast more than made up.  As for my fathers chicken fried steak?  He put it away in short order.  Sadly, it was one thing I didn't get to sample.

Prices are a wee bit on the spendy side....roughly two bucks per plate more that the average bacon-and-eggs joint.  Some may gripe, but quality has it's price....and the way I see things, a paltry two bucks is less than half of what I spend on bottom-shelf cocktails at the average neighborhood bar.

Shine this place if you're in the mood to pinch pennies....but if you'll part with a few extra one-spots in order to experience Lodi's breakfast par-excellence, then make your way out to Lockeford & Ham and stop on by!

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